Harsh Upbringing
by Damvladi
Summary: Luffy's life is forever changed because of a traumatic experience during his childhood. Made aware of the injustice and corruption running rampant in his world, he decides to become strong and to fight for his freedom. Nothing will stop him, he is determined to protect and help those close to him.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer : I don't own One Piece.

* * *

A skinny and scarred child opened his eyes as he heard footsteps approaching. They were almost lifeless. The boy was laying on his back on a wood-made floor.

"Here, you have a companion now, boy. Be nice to her, she's new." A bulky man said with a barking laugh, pushing a girl in the cell and locking it behind her.

She was around twelve years old, 5 years older than him. She had long straight pink hairs and brown eyes. She was quite pretty, he thought wistfully. If only she could be less noisy. She was crying and screaming for someone to save her. That made him laugh mirthlessly. Hearing him, she turned and looked at him with angry tears.

"What's so funny ?!"

"You. Nobody's gonna save you." He said cynically, something surprising for one so young.

"What would you know about it ?"

"Oh I know, I've been here for 2 years. You're not the first one to come. The others died. I hope you'll make it. I'm lonely." There was a slight hint of sadness in his voice, but she immediately dismissed it. She was angry, and she needed a target for it.

"Pfff, you're lying ! The marine will come, and they will get us back, papa always said the marines saves people..." She trailed off, crying anew. She had witnessed the pirates kill her parents in front of her, after all, just before they took her.

* * *

Some hours later, she was quiet, and simply waited for something to happen. The same man that had brought her came and opened the door.

"It's time for your session boy." He announced, smiling cruelly.

She looked and saw fear in the boy's eyes. It was squashed down, though, and replaced by an emotionless mask that made a shiver run down her spine. The man grabbed him by the back of his neck and left. A few minutes later, she was startled by a bloodcurdling scream. It didn't stop, more screams ensued, it rapidly became painful for her to hear them. She tried to cover her ears with her hands, but it only muffled the sound a little. It stopped after what felt an eternity. The man came back and threw the limp body of the boy in the cell. She was horrified by what she saw. He had bruises, bleeding cuts and burn marks all over his body. It made her want to throw up.

"You know what's waiting for you." The boy stated quietly, hugging his knees close to his chest.

She cried once more. She was terrified. When she heard footsteps some time later, she grew even more frightened. They were coming for her. She screamed and struggled as the man grabbed her and told her it was her turn.

* * *

Luffy sat up. The screams of others didn't bother him anymore. He had heard them too many times. He waited patiently. The first time was always the worst. It was always the longest one. Some died and other just broke under it, becoming empty shell. There had been ten like him. Five at first, and they arrived one by one after that. Everyone broke or died at some point. He was the only one left. The only one that survived. He didn't know why, all he knew for sure was that he would continue to survive at all costs. He wouldn't die here. One day, he would escape, and he would be free. He stared at her unmoving form on the floor. Did she die ? He approached her and shook her shoulder gently. He was happy to hear her whimper in pain. Ignoring his own and her weak protest, he rolled her so she was laying on her back and stroked her hair gently. She looked at him oddly.

"It hurts, I know. It means you're still alive. You have to bear with it and survive. Please, don't die. Don't leave me alone like the others." He pleaded with enough despair that she picked up on it. She nodded, or at least she tried to, she was suffering too much to know if it came out right.

"Promise." She croaked.

* * *

Two months passed in the blink of an eye in the same manner. They awoke after a few hours of rest, you couldn't really call it sleep because the pain prevented it most of the time, and waited for the man to come and grab them or give them some bread and water. They had two sessions per day, exactly one hour after lunch and dinner.

As promised, she hadn't broken. She had become a survivor like Luffy, as she had learned. She had also told him her name, Jewelry Bonney. It was too hard to pronounce for him though, so he just called her 'Jewey'. After each sessions, they would snuggle together and nurse the pain away. Today, they were stirred from their rest by the cell and the whole ship being split in half a few feet from them. She was panicking like crazy, but Luffy was reacting differently. He was grinning like a madman. She looked at him worriedly, thinking he had lost it.

"This is our chance to escape !" He shouted excitedly over the loud noise of wood cracking and sinking.

Her eyes widened before her expression matched his.

"You know how to swim Jewey ?" He asked her. She nodded. "Good, I don't." He announced not losing his grin. "We jump in the water and find something that float ?" He suggested.

"Okay."

They jumped once they had a clear spot. When she returned to the surface, she grabbed Luffy and helped him swim. They found a small boat, with a black sail. They climbed on it and laid down, hiding from the men on the sinking ship. They waited and strained their ears to hear what was happening. They were startled by a man landing on the boat. He had a long opened black coat, a hat of the same color with a feather on it and a big black sword on his back. His eyes were the most shocking, they were bright yellow like those of a hawk. The two parties stared at each other. Luffy defiantly, Jewelrey with some fear but trying to imitate her friend, and the man impassively.

"What are you children doing ?" He demanded.

"Escaping from torture." Luffy blurted out.

The man raised an eyebrow. He inspected them and, indeed, there was bruise and a lot of scars on the skin not hidden by clothes. More so on the boy.

"My name is Dracule Mihawk. What is yours ?"

"Jewelry Bonney."

"Monkey ."

Mihawk's eyes widened ever so slightly. "Monkey D. ? Are you related to Monkey ?"

"You know my jiji ?" Luffy asked curiously while Jewelry gaped at him. Everyone knew about the marine hero Garp.

He nodded. "Yes, I met him on a few occasions. I can call him to pick you up."

Luffy's face darkened. "Don't !" He said firmly. "That's his fault if I've been kidnapped in the first place. Just dump me at the next island."

Mihawk was curious about this reaction, but decided it wasn't his business, he turned his gaze on the girl.

"I go with Luffy." She stated.

"We're close to the east blue. I have an acquaintance resting on Dawn island, I will take you there."

"That's where I lived." Luffy remarked.

"Good." Mihawk simply said.

The rest of the trip was spent in silence, broken only when they had to eat. They arrived at destination two days later, despite its size, the small boat was quite fast. When they arrived at Fuusha village, nobody recognized Luffy, he had changed a lot. They directly went to Partys bar.

"Oi ! Mihawk, what are you doing here of all place ?" A red-haired man called from the bar when they entered.

"Luffy !?" A green-haired woman cried out, seeing the children behind him.

She ran at him and envelloped him in a bone-crushing hug.

"I will let those two explain, I have to leave now." Mihawk walked out uninterrupted, the attention being on the children.

"Stop it you're hurting him !" Jewelry exclaimed as she tried to get the woman off of her friend.

She let him go at that, and sent an apologetic smile at the girl, only to receive a glare back. She spotted the bruises and scars on Jewelry and her

eyes flew back to Luffy, who was also glaring at her, but with a pain-stricken expression.

"Oh I'm so sorry, come you two, we have to treat your wounds. I'm Makino by the way." The now named woman said apologetically.

"Jewelry Bonney."

"Doc, treat the kids, captain's order." The red-haired man called at one of the individual drinking.

"Sure, captain."

Luffy and Jewelry were led upstairs in one of the bedroom. They didn't have that much wounds, only bruises and cuts not fully closed yet, as the last session was from three days ago. The doc refrained from asking where and how they got all the scars, she had a good guess already. Makino brought some food once the doc was finished.

"You want to rest ? I'll show you to another room." Makino said kindly to Jewelry.

They both glared at her. "I'm not going anywhere if Luffy's not with me." The pink-haired girl replied fiercely.

They climbed on the single bed and snuggled, ignoring the other woman in the room completely.


	2. Chapter 1

"What's up with the kids ?" The red-haired man asked as the doc descended the stairs.

"They've been tortured. Daily, Shanks." She answered him with anger in her voice. "The girl must have spend a few month there. But the boy-."

"Luffy ?" Makino interrupted the conversation.

The doc nodded. "Some of his scars goes back to years ago."

"It's been two years and a half since he disapeared." Makino confirmed.

"I'm sorry. But he's more than likely been tortured daily for at least two years." Several choked on their drink as they heard that. Makino had tears in her eyes. "I don't know how he survived it all, he must have a very strong will. Children aren't supposed to go through that. He should be broken."

"But I'm not." A voice was heard from the stairs.

Luffy made his way downstairs with an emotionless mask. Everyone was looking at him.

"You woke me up. You're too noisy." He stated.

"Come on kid, we were only speaking, no way you heard us." Shanks said with a grin, trying to lighten the mood.

Luffy turned to him. "Your crying are noisy." He declared like it explained everything. Only a few understood what that meant, Shanks were among them, his captain used to say things like that. "Can I have some water ?" He asked Makino who nodded and filled a glass. He gulped it down. "Thank you. Don't speak about me if that makes you cry. I can't sleep when you cry." He requested before returning to his room.

"No kid should be capable of making a face like that." Benn Beckman remarked.

* * *

One week passed uneventfully. The children's bruises had healed completely, and they were slowly getting more weight and muscles. They always 'played' outside or stayed in their room. They had contact with the red-hair pirates only during meal times. In truth, they never played, they trained. Luffy had decided that they needed to be stronger if they didn't want their newfound freedom to be taken from them again. Jewey agreed so they went in the forest and worked out as long as possible. Being survivors, they had unwavering willpower and didn't stop even if they were exhausted. Fatigue was nothing compared to the pain they used to endure.

It was lunch that day. The door was suddenly thrown off its hinches.

"Sorry for the interruption." A gruff-looking man said. "We are bandits. But we're not here to destroy the bar. Give us ten barrels of sake."

"I apologize, but we don't have any at the moment." Makino replied politely.

"Huh ? Then what are those pirates drinking ? Water ?"

"As I said, all the sake we have left is out."

"Sorry man, seems like we drank it all. Here, you can have this bottle, I didn't touch it yet." Shanks said good-naturedly.

The bandit leader took it, and smashed it against the counter, splashing the content on Shanks and Luffy, who was sitting beside him.

"Oi, I'm Higuma, I have a 8 millions berris bounty, a single bottle won't be enough for me and my men."

Luffy had enough at that point. He picked his knife and stood on his chair. He pounced above Shanks' head and planted his tool in the bandit's throat as hard as he could. They fell to the floor. The raven-haired sat up and got his knife out, ignoring the gasps around him and the blood staining his small hands.

"You're really too noisy." He stated to the dying man. He turned towards the rest of the bandits and smiled. It looked creepy and slightly malicious in combination with his cold black eyes. "Are you going to be noisy too ?" He asked innocently.

He got no response. Everyone was too shocked. This kid was a demon, the rest of the bandits thought. They left, not wanting to finish like their leader. Luffy nodded to himself, satisfied, and sat back on his chair. He was about to continue his meal, but he stopped and glanced at Makino.

"Why are you crying ?" He asked with childish curiosity.

The change in demeanour surprised the pirates. The kid still had blood staining his hands, but it seemed he didn't care. The bartender was torn between crying, panicking or fainting. She settled on the latter.

"Jewey, could you help me clean up when we finish ?" Luffy requested, not fazed by the woman's reaction.

"Sure but you help too Shanks, that's partly your fault after all." She said it like nothing was wrong.

The man in question finally snapped out of his stupor. "Wha- Why did you kill him Luffy ?"

"'Cause he was noisy."

"You don't go and kill people just because they're being noisy !" Shanks shouted indignantly.

"Why ? I'm free. I do whatever the fuck I want."

"Then why didn't you attack us or Makino when we were noisy ?"

Luffy fixed him with a confused stare. "Why would I do that ? I like you guys and Makino's noise. Well not when she's crying but that's not so bad.

His sounded like the Man." A shiver visibly run down his and Jewey's spine.

"You mean the one that..." Shanks trailed off, understanding dawning on him.

"That tortured us ? Yes." Jewey confirmed quietly for Luffy.

The bar was cleaned by the pirates after that, the corpse thrown into the sea and nobody mentionned what happened there.

* * *

Shanks had decided to stay in the village a little longer, waiting for Garp to arrive in order to explain certain things to him about Luffy. Of course, the ship and the rest of the crew were hidden from view when he did, they didn't really need a fight breaking out with the marines. The vice-admiral wasn't really glad to see him, but he didn't care, he just said what he had to and, despite him being a pirate, Garp listened because it concerned his lost grandson.

"He's got the same talent as captain Roger, to hear emotions from a person. He was woken up by Makino 'crying' when the doc told her he had been tortured. Also... Well, I don't know how to deliver it but... He killed a man, three days ago."

"What !?" Garp exclaimed sharply.

Shanks just nodded grimly and recounted the event, with the explanation Luffy gave him.

"He said, I quote : 'His sounded like the Man'. Jewelry, the girl with him, confirmed that he referred by that the man that

tortured them. Honestly, Garp, I think that's not so bad. According to our doc, he has been tortured daily for at least two years. Any other kid

would have been broken by this sort of things. I think... That's my advice, take it or not, that's not my problem, but I think he needs to be

trained."

After the discussion, Shanks left the island.

Garp, was anxious at seeing his grandson, he was happy that he was found, but the story Red-hair told him... It certainly broke his heart to hear what Luffy had to endure. He wasn't sure if it was a good idea to give him to Dadan anymore. He entered Partys bar and greeted Makino, asking to see his grandson.

"He's outside with his friend." She said.

He got out and used his well-refined observation haki, to find the children. What he found surprised him. Luffy and Jewey were in a small clearing, in front of each other, doing push up. He observed them quietly, but standing in view, as Luffy's ability to hear people's noise would have given his presence away already. After a minute, they hadn't stopped, so the marine began to count the push up to fill in his boredom. At 50, he could see the sweat sliding from their face and falling to the floor. At 120, the push-up became slower. At 150, He decided to intervene.

"Stop. You're straining your muscles, if you overdue it, you'll just damage your body, nothing good is gonna come out of it." He explained in his instructor voice.

They complied and Garp was pleased to see they didn't lay down but stood on their feet steadily. They were both panting and sweating profusely, but they didn't show any other weakness.

"Hi Luffy, I'm glad to see you. Jewelry, nice to meet you." He greeted. "If you continue to train like that, you'll become a strong marine Luffy !" Garp declared with a barking laugh.

"Never." His grandson stated as his face darkened. "I know what marines do, I know who they work for. The celestial dragon." He spat the title with so much venom, it startled his grandfather. "I met some of their slave, they sent them where I was to break them. They told me the marines knew about it but didn't do anything against it. I won't work for them, ever. I won't condone slavery and torture, not like you." Luffy finished, glaring at his grandfather with hate.

Garp didn't like what he was hearing. It reminded him too much of what his own son told him all those years ago. The problem, everything was true.

Almost.

"I don't condone it. Believe me Luffy when I tell you that I am fighting against it as much as I can. It is why I am not promoted to admiral. They know I would have too much influence if they did that. I am a marine to protect the innocent from pirates like those that took you. Please, at least believe that." He explained sadly.

Luffy nodded. "You sound true." He simply said, relaxing a little.

Garp sighed before bringing a den-den mushi out of his jacket. He dialed a number and waited.

Purupurupurupuru-Click

"Fleet Admiral Sengoku."

"Sengoku, it's me Garp. I need you to give a few month of vacation right now."

"What ? Impossible, there's too much work, you can't leave whenever you want." Sengoku grumbled annoyed.

"I don't care, my grandson was found, and he needs me." Garp said, anger growing inside of him.

"Really ? Where was he ? I'm sorry but it is going to have to wait."

"No. You are going to wait ! My grandson was tortured on a fucking pirate ship every damn day for two years ! He needs me far more than you ! Thank you for the vacation." Garp shouted in a fit of rage, leaking his conqueror haki slightly. He hung up roughly at the end of his rant.

He turned towards the two children and noticed Jewey seemed weak in the knees while Luffy wasn't fazed.

"Oh sorry. Very good, though. Conqueror Haki, this is what you just experienced. It's the act of imposing your will on others. It's very rare, only one in a million people have it. Most normal people faint when put under it."

"Can we learn how to use it ?" Luffy asked, interested.

He was disappointed as his grandfather shook his head. "It can't be taught. It is unlocked through pure willpower. But you will probably have it. Haki in general, is the power of the will. There is observation haki, it allows you to sense others and even predict their movements. Luffy, you use an advanced version of it when you hear the sound of a person. There is also armament haki, it coats your body with a black coloured armor that protects you and makes your strikes stronger. Conqueror haki, is trained and more often than not unlocked by develloping your haki. This is what I will teach the both of you, during those few month. We will only have time for the basics." Garp explained with a commanding voice. "We start immediately !"


	3. Chapter 2

**Here's the rewrite of chapter 3.**

 **Review or PM for your thoughts on the new plot line.**

 **Enjoy**

* * *

Five months later.

Only the basics my ass. Garp thought to himself as he relaxed on his ship, departing from Dawn island. Luffy and Jewey had exceeded his expectations. They were only seven and twelve, so he thought it would take sometime for them to unlock their haki. He couldn't have been more wrong. Observation haki was a piece of cake for Luffy so he worked on his speed while Garp concentrated on Jewelry. One week, that's all it took for her to awaken it. The same for armament when the two tried it, only one week. At first, the marine was slightly put off by the hellish training they were imposing on themselves, but Jewelry explained why.

He would always remember what she told him.

"We are survivors. You know, I would have been broken after the first session if Luffy wasn't there. He told me I had to survive, that the pain only meant that we were still alive. He pleaded with me, regardless of his own pain, not to leave him alone, not like the others that had died or broken. He pleaded with me to become a survivor like him. I understood only later what it implied. I'm not even sure I understand all of it, I've only been there for two little months. He survived, all alone for two years. What do you think got him to stay sane? It was freedom. Now that we have it, we have to become stronger than anyone, so that it will never be taken from us again. It is what we fear the most. Not the torture. We survived it. It is being weak and helpless against it."

After that talk, he brought the whole training up a notch and put them through hell on earth. They never complained once, not a whine, nothing. They accepted it and threw themselves in it willingly. It was really beautiful to see for an instructor like Garp. He couldn't help the proud feeling that overwhelmed him. His grandson had grown on him more than ever before.

He had been slightly worried by Shanks' talk and Luffy's speech, but he shouldn't have been. He knew that his grandson was very much like his father, and that he would surely go fight with him against the world government if he heard of the revolutionary. He didn't care though. Luffy had a good head on his shoulders. He would be free and live his life fully. He was a D after all.

'Ah, good luck if you want to take away his freedom.' Garp thought, grinning from ear to ear. His grandson was strong, inhumanly so for his age. He pitied anyone that would have to fight him when Luffy reached his peak. He would be the strongest man alive, better than the previous generation.

* * *

Meanwhile, Luffy and Jewey were running across the forest towards the coast and a huge fire. He had heard a person's voice that troubled him, because it was very familiar, like Jiji's but slightly different. It had stirred something inside of him that he didn't understand yet. He should never have heard it normally, because of the huge distance and all the cries of pain and despair coming from inside the fire, but it had become angry. Because of his training, he knew why it was so loud. The individual had a strong will, so his voice was louder because of conqueror haki leaking.

They arrived on the beach, where a single man was standing still, the source of the voice. Luffy abruptly fell on his knees, suffocating. Jewey immediately got why.

"Stop it! You're too noisy!" She shouted at the man.

Monkey turned his head and found a young pink-haired girl glaring at him, while she supported a smaller boy that made his breath catch in his throat.

"Fucking hell!" Luffy cursed. "You have one fucking loud voice." He accused the adult.

"Voice?" Dragon inquired curiously, perfectly knowing he didn't speak.

"Your anger. It was shouting so much I heard it from Fuusha village." He grinned in amusement while the man's eyes widened.

"You can hear the voice of all things." He murmured to himself.

"Your sound resembles Jiji's. You're related to him, right?"

Dragon didn't know if he should lie or try to evade... But the boy would be able to tell if he lied. He opted for the truth.

"I am Monkey D. Dragon, Garp's son. And your father."

He heard Luffy mumble something. It became rapidly louder.

"Whywhywhywhywhywhywhywhy? WHY? Why were you not with me !? Where were you ?!" Luffy demanded, murderous rage and killing intent rolling out of him in waves.

Dragon expected his son to be angry with him, sure, but he had absolutely no idea that his SEVEN years old son would look at him with that much rage and hate. What had happened to him? A child shouldn't be able to feel those things so strongly. It was shocking, even for the ever-stoic man.

"I left you to your grandfather, because I rebelled against the world government. I am a wanted man because I fight against the tyranny, slavery and corruption that run rampant in our world. I didn't want you to live in fear of being caught for who I am. So I asked Garp to hide you." Dragon explained.

Again, the reaction of his son was not what he expected. Luffy nodded with a now blank face and removed his shirt. The scarred skin glistened under the fire's light.

"By 'hiding' me, as you say, you condemned me to what you are fighting against. Two years. Two fucking years of torture." Luffy announced through gritted teeth.

Dragon was speechless now. He had seen a lot of atrocities, far more than most. The type that would make even the most robust of man turn green in the face. But this, it was making him nauseous for a whole different reason. It was his son. He felt his own rage and hate towards the government grow. His son, his seven years old child had to go through unimaginable torture because of his choice. Because he had decided to give him away.

"Do I have a mother?" Luffy asked quietly, reining in his emotions.

Dragon shook his head. "She died in Ohara. Her name was Nico Olivia. She already had a daughter when I met her. Nico Robin, it's your sister's name. I've tried to find her, but the world government put a bounty on her because she's the only survivor of Ohara. She's gone deep into hiding." He saw a fire in his son's gaze and guessed what he would do. Thus, he described her as best as he could and told him all he knew.

Luffy nodded when his father finished. "Jewey, we're leaving. Where is Ohara?"

"West blue but she won't be there. Your best bet is the Grand Line." Dragon answered. "Are you sure you're strong enough to travel on your own?"

"We know haki." His son said simply, showing one arm coated in black.

Dragon was satisfied. "What are you going to do when you find your sister?" He asked curiously.

Luffy grinned, for the first time since they met. "I'll become the Pirate King and help you destroy the world government. Once that's done, we'll finally be free forever." He said, glancing at Jewey, who smiled in return.

"If that's your decision, then go and see the world." Dragon said before walking away.

"Don't die Dad! Not before I reach the top!" Luffy called after him.

* * *

They returned to Fuusha village and did their first act of piracy. They stole a boat, a compass, a map and provisions. Garp didn't train them only physically. He had also given them lessons on navigation, the life on a ship and a plethora of knowledge about the world. They set sail immediately after loading the boat.

"We're going to Loguetown." Luffy announced as they studied the map. "Attacking the marine base and killing some of their corrupt members should award us our first bounty. We'll advertise the fact that Nico D. Luffy is going to the Grand Line and knows all three types of Haki."

"Won't that put a huge target on our backs? I know we're strong enough for the first half of Grand Line, Garp-ojii-san said so but what if they send an admiral to kidnap us or something?"

"They won't, at least not at first. By the time they realize how big of a threat I am to them, every pirate worth their salt will know of my existence. That means Robin will know too and will keep an eye out for me. Once we find her and convince her to join us, we'll have to hightail back to East Blue discreetly. Either through the Calm Belt or climbing Reverse Mountain. It will depend on how strong she is."

"Then we'll train and get strong enough to do the journey properly. Is that it?" Luffy nodded, he knew he wasn't the smartest out there, far from it, but he was proud of his plan. "Ok let's do this! Oh, you think I can call myself Monkey D. Bonney? That way, we could get to meet people along the way who recognize the name of your father or your grandfather and help us!"

"Why not, it's worth a shot. Although, calling you Jewey won't make much sense... Hmm, what do you think of Bon-chan?" She made a disgusted face. "So much for that, I guess."


	4. Chapter 4

**A few things about the story :**

 **-Armament haki is visible.**

 **-Certain events will happen earlier/later than in cannon.**

 **I'd like to find someone to discuss ideas with and get feedback, it would help me push through writer's block and most likely make this story a lot better.**

 **Tell me in a review or PM if you're interested.**

 **Enjoy.**

* * *

The trip to loguetown was uneventful, there was nothing for Luffy and Jewelry to do except talk. Their boat was too small for physical training or any activity really. They spent the time cuddling together for warmth.

That is, until Luffy's haki picked up numerous voices moving in the opposite direction. One in particular grabbed his attention, for it was full of arrogance and cruelty and surrounded by voices of misery.

A Celestial Dragon and his slaves were coming to visit the Goa Kingdom was his guess, which would explain the great fire at Grey Terminal and Dragon's presence. This was the perfect chance for Luffy to enact his plan, get some revenge on the World Government and free the slaves while at it.

"Jewey, change of plans. We're going to kill a Celestial Dragon." He said, his face set on a bloodthirsty smirk, an expression no child should be able to make.

"Luffy... They will definitely send an admiral after us if we do this." She said matter-of-factly. She wasn't about to try and dissuade him, she knew better than that.

"I know but an opportunity like this one may never come our way again. You take care of the guards, they're all pretty weak." She nodded in understanding.

They didn't have to wait long before a large ship with the World Government's symbol on the frontal sail appeared on the horizon.

"Abandon the boat, we'll commandeer their ship. Leave none alive, anyone who would assist a Celestial Dragon doesn't deserve to live."

Saying that, they both jumped into the water and swam, Luffy having learned from Jewey during their early training. In no time, they were on deck, facing their targets.

"How dare you filthy commoners stand on my ship eh! Execute them both eh!" The World Noble ordered. The soldiers didn't hesitate and charged the children with spears and swords ready to strike.

Luffy jumped high above them while Jewelry coated her arms in Haki, deflected their weapons and retaliated with punches strong enough to snap their neck.

Meanwhile, Luffy landed in front of four men wearing black suits who stood protectively in front of the World Noble.

"Saint Jalmack, please leave this to us and go inside." One of them said calmly. 'Those kids know haki, we're doomed.' He thought privately as he watched the girl tear through his men with ease.

The time it took for him to formulate the thought was all Luffy needed to reach his target in a burst of speed, too fast for them to follow. He put his hands on either side of the noble's head, bursting the protective bubble in the process.

A sickening crack rang loudly and everyone stopped to watch Saint Jalmack's lifeless body fall on the deck with a thud, his neck twisted unnaturally. Shock coursed through the guards. They had believed this was a kidnapping attempt, not an assassination.

Luffy joined Jewey and together they finished the remaining guards, leaving them with one final thought. This would have far reaching consequences, world-changing consequences.

Jewelry only gave a passing glance at the corpses she created, not all that bothered by what she had done. If there was one thing she had learned while in captivity, it was that morality was a question of perspective.

Attacking a World Noble earned one the same punishment as killing him, death, but the latter action would have a bigger impact. Also, she agreed with Luffy that some people simply deserved to die. Their existence itself was a cancer that needed to be cured. Anyone having dealt with World Nobles would agree that they fell in that category.

"Jewey, go find their transponder snail please while I free the slaves." She nodded at Luffy's request and went inside the ship.

"How are you going to do that? In case you didn't realize kid, we've got exploding collars, one wrong move and it goes boom." A man in his thirties dressed like a pirate captain said.

There were two other slaves, a thin man with unusually long legs and a short woman who looked like a cross between a human and a rabbit. Luffy used his ability to hear what they truly felt and turned to the latter.

"What is your name and, sorry, but what are you?"

"I am Carrot, a Rabbit Mink. Are you going to try removing my collar first?"

"Yes, you're fearless and strong enough that there is a chance you could survive if I fail."

"How do you know that?" The third slave asked indignantly.

"I can hear the voice of all things."

"Like the three-eye tribe?" Carrot was amazed. She had left Zou early on in her life and sailed across the New World for a few years before being captured. As a result, she knew quite a lot compared to the people from Paradise and the blues.

"Can't say I know about them. Got it! The explosives are quite small, I'll just close my hand around it and take it off." Luffy said after inspecting the collar. He proceeded to do just that, ignoring the Longlegs and pirate captain's protest.

"Oi don't do that you dumb kid, you're going to kill us all!"

As expected, Luffy managed to take the collar off of her neck and armament haki made sure his hand stayed intact. "There you go, who's next?" Luffy grinned, satisfied with himself.

By the time he was done removing their collars, Jewey came back holding a snail and a small notebook in one hand, a larger snail with bigger eyes in the other.

"They have a visual Transponder Snail? Sweet! Did you find where it is broadcast?"

Jewey nodded. "Marineford, Fleet Admiral's office and Sabaody Archipelago, reporter's office. Don't ask me why they would be in contact with journalists, I have no idea. We're just that lucky, I guess."

Luffy chuckled. "We'll make the front page for sure! No way for the marines to sweep it under the rug. You're the best Jewey." In his enthusiasm, he planted a sloppy kiss on her cheek. She blushed and smiled in response.

Luffy gave the visual and audio snails to Carrot and instructed her to film them. He took place with Jewey in the center of the deck, surrounded by the dead, and both of them removed their top, leaving their scarred chest bare for all to see. Then, they coated their arms in armament haki.

"My name is Nico D. Luffy, son of Nico Olivia and half-brother of Nico Robin, alias Devil Child. With me is Monkey D. Bonney. This is a message for the World Government, you will pay for what you did to my sister. World Nobles, you better hide and hope I won't find you, because if I do, this is what you'll be reduced to." Jewelry kicked Jalmack's corpse for good measure.

Luffy nodded at Carrot, indicating that they were finished.

"You kids are insane." The pirate captain said in disbelief. "That was the most stupid and reckless thing I've ever seen."

Jewelry glared at him. "We didn't ask for your opinion, old man. I think it's time for you to leave anyway."

"Where will we go? I don't know anyone in East Blue and I don't want to go back to the Grand Line, it's too dangerous." The Longleg tribe member lamented.

"Take one of the lifeboats and continue on the same course. It'll get you to Dawn Island. There, go to Fuusha Village and tell the chief that Vice-admiral Garp sent you, you'll be welcomed with open arms."

"I want to come with you guys!" Carrot exclaimed. "You're gonna sail the Grand Line right?"

Luffy shook his head. "We are only going there to find my sister. After that, we're coming back as fast as possible."

"Works for me, you'll need help to pilot a big ship like this one. Lucky you, I have experience, I was a member of the Nox Pirates."

"Never heard of them but then, you're right about the ship. Can you use haki?"

"Both yes, but my observation is quite weak compared to armament."

"Good enough, you may come with us."

"Garchu!" She hugged him tightly and rubbed her cheek against his, a sign of friendship among Minks.

Luffy, not knowing about that, tensed. He still had a hard time allowing people other than Jewey to touch him. "What are you doing?"

At the sound of his voice, Carrot backtracked as if burned. "I'm so sorry, I forgot most humans aren't used to minkship. Please forgive me, I won't do it again without permission."

Jewelry laughed at his expense. "It's ok, you don't need to apologize, do it as much as you want! Hopefully, it will get him to mellow out a little."

Luffy sighed, beginning to reconsider his decision. He hoped they didn't pick up any more strays along the way. Not that he didn't want to help people in need, he just wasn't sure his sanity would survive, at least what little remained of it.


End file.
